


Imago

by dancey94



Category: Hannibal (TV), The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Kinda, M/M, Modern Retelling, Murder, Murder Husbands, Photography, Retelling, basically dorian gray but hannibal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 16:05:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6617014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancey94/pseuds/dancey94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Retelling of <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> with Will and Hannibal in the main roles. Prepare for the worst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Imago

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ferris_Eris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferris_Eris/gifts).



In the happy and noisy crowd of young men and women attending the party were a few freelancers – photographers and tabloid journalists, who would sell their souls to the devil if that meant a good article and promotion. They gave the hoi polloi topics for rumours, and their spicy pictures tended to cause, more often than not, national scandals. Among the group of the photographers was a young man named Hannibal Lecter, whose last photo session made it to the cover of one of the most respected magazines.

“Looking for your next model?” asked mocking voices in the room. Other photographers were jealous of Hannibal’s ability to capture the beauty and honesty of his models. It is one thing to find a person with extraordinary good looks and a completely different thing to know how to use it to the camera’s advantage. Hannibal was one of the few contemporary masters of photography, whose skills were widely appreciated and serving as an object of great envy amongst his colleagues.

The moment was brief, a cliché split of second that felt as if happening in slow motion. Lecter’s eyes caught a slim figure standing out from the rest of the crowd and the photographer’s cheeks were battered by an imaginary breeze. The freshness of the lad’s stunning features hit Hannibal to the very core of his existence and suddenly he felt the urge to leave immediately. He considered himself unworthy of laying eyes upon such a magnificent creature. Yet, a moment later he was introduced to the object of his budding fascination by the host of the party.

Hannibal’s eyes were attentively observing his hand which was shaken by Will Graham. The touch felt as if a god’s blessing and Lecter was utterly confused. He was not sure if he should shamelessly admit he had never seen such a masterpiece. ‘Be my masterpiece,’ thought Hannibal as he finally glanced at Will and knew at that very moment the boy had to be his next model. A desire to make Graham famous and worshipped bloomed in Lecter. The whole world deserved to know the name of the ultimate symbol of beauty.

For the whole evening Hannibal was pontificating about the contemporary art and people’s perception of it. He presented Will with some of his photos and tried to charm the lad with the stories from different cities and different sets. Graham seemed completely engaged with Hannibal’s anecdotes and by the end of the party he had agreed to take part in a photo shoot. He admitted to not having experience in the field but stated he wanted to do this, if only for Hannibal’s pleasure. Lecter could not be more happy and in the sprig of zest he squeezed his new acquaintance’s hand. The flash of surprise on Will’s face was quickly replaced with a particularly angelic smile and Hannibal felt forgiven.

No more than a week passed when Will was posing for Hannibal in his studio on the outskirts of London. The room was not large, yet spacious and well-lit. The sunlight was pervading the room and reflecting on the flat surfaces of many mirrors and screens. Lecter organised the room so that his model had enough space to move around and do whatever felt natural. The memory card in the camera was gradually filled with photos of the young man playing with his hair, smiling and pretending to be someone else completely. Will was asking questions as he was curious about his worshipper, but Hannibal was so engaged in the photo shoot, he was ignoring what his model was saying.

After over an hour, a change of clothes and a glass of wine, Will joined Hannibal by the computer, where Lecter was staring at the immense beauty radiating from the screen. The model looked at the photos and then heard a printer work beside him.

“They are all excellent,” spoke Hannibal “but I find myself utterly bewitched by this particular shot of your personality.” Lecter’s fingers were ghosting over the freshly printed picture. “The light caresses your features and emphasises your sharp noble nose. Can you see? And this shade of green really makes your eyes stand out. You should wear green clothes more often.”

Will was staring at the photo with indifferent expression, as if he couldn’t see what the photographer was talking about. For a second Hannibal was terrified that maybe Will did not consider him a talented photographer. A pang of pain and fear hit Lecter at the mere thought of his greatest model not appreciating his work.

“Hannibal? I knew I’d find you here. Busy as always. And with a new model, indeed. For the first time the rumours were true.” A woman of slim posture and a dangerous spark in her eyes entered the studio and shook Hannibal’s hand.

“You shouldn’t be here. I’m working.” Lecter tried to make his uninvited guest leave but the woman moved forward to shake the model’s hand.

“Alana Bloom.” The woman introduced herself and Will followed suit. “Are you the next one to make it to the cover of Vogue or Elle?”

Will flushed at the implication and the gesture made him look even younger and more innocent.

“Stop harassing my friend,” was Hannibal’s request but it went unheard. Alana had already sat in a chair with the printed copy of the picture in hand and then glanced at Will to compare it with the original.

“Exquisite. Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful man. Don’t be insulted by my words but the term _handsome_ does not quite suit you. You remind me rather of a Greek god.” Alana looked at the photograph and released a sigh of nostalgia. “Shame you will never be as young and pretty as in this picture. You will grow old and wrinkled, your beauty will fade and pass and someone else will take your place. The only reminiscent of your beauty will be this photograph. Well done, Hannibal.”

Lecter rolled his eyes at the strange statement because he knew his friend used to speak such notorious things. God only knew if she ever meant what she said. Will, however, went pale and his face was full of sorrow at the sad realisation that the words were quite true. The prospect of him getting old and his skin getting loose, his hair going grey and eyes being filled with guilt and regret, hit Will hard. It made him appreciate the man in the photo and his outstanding beauty. Only at that moment did he understand all the compliments he had received throughout his life.

“There is nothing in this world, not even my own soul, I would not give for the things to be the other way round. If only it was the photo that would grow old and I to stay forever young and beautiful,” Will exclaimed and then the room became silent. Finally, Alana laughed at the desperate wish that could never come true, while Hannibal decided never to show the photograph to anyone. He would send the rest of the pictures to a few magazines but the one photo was going to be only his.

“May I have this copy?” asked Alana, already tucking the printed photo under her arm. Will frowned when Hannibal almost jumped at Alana to yank the piece of paper from the woman.

“It belongs to Will,” Lecter explained and handed the photograph to his model.

Since that day, Hannibal continued seeing Will, either for lunch or in the artist’s studio. Graham was introduced into the world of fashion and show business and his photos appeared in the magazines that filled most of the shops. Lecter’s friendship, however, seemed not to be enough and Alana’s unforgettable words kept echoing in Will’s head.

As Will limited his contact with Hannibal, he met more often with Alana. The pair attended parties and events at the opera or theatres, which led to rumours of different nature, mostly accusing Bloom of neglecting her wife. She didn’t seem moved by that at all. "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about," Alana used to say.

Despite their less frequent meetings, Hannibal remained Will’s close friend, so when Graham engaged in an affair, the news reached Lecter’s ears. To the artist’s own surprise, he wasn’t happy for the boy. He acted like a good friend, offering advice and generally supporting Will, but deep down jealousy was tearing his heart. Lecter became jealous of Alana and her influence on Will. It was a dangerous game Bloom was playing with the boy and Hannibal could barely watch it from the distance. Will seemed to absorb every word, becoming much like Bloom – cynical and arrogant, yet Hannibal kept looking at Will as if he was the purest creature in the world. Whenever he was around him, Hannibal lost his head and behaved somewhat mad. Graham’s affairs grew in number but appeared to lose passion as every following one was shorter than the last.

Hannibal subconsciously started following Will’s career. He read about the affairs, about the successive photo shoots, about the events he attended. Lecter kept the folder with Will’s photos on his computer and secured it with a password. There was a wild obsession developing in Hannibal but the man was not fully aware of that. Whenever he was in company of other people, Hannibal would mention Will’s name. Months had passed before Lecter gradually realised that not only was he smitten with the boy’s beauty, but he also developed a sort of affection for him. Whether it was a form of love for one’s creation or a genuine love for another human being, romance coloured his friendship with Will.

When the realisation dawned on Hannibal, he began behaving more carefully around the object of his obsession and around other people. He controlled the amount of intimate details he gave away and tried to keep his feelings a secret. Will acted distant, too. He preferred the company of Alana Bloom and charming ladies. Although there were obvious changes in Will’s behaviour, Lecter seemed oblivious to them. If anyone would speak badly of Graham, Hannibal would deny every sin. With time, the rumours were flooding Hannibal as they were flooding the city of London and the rest of the world of show business.

Years passed but time seemed to have no impact on Will – his boyish face remained untouched and the blue of his eyes was as clear as ever. Hannibal pretended to move on with his life as he went on trips to Paris and Milan. His career had not moved forward along with him, however. The peak felt to have been long behind, exactly when he discovered Will Graham. Hearing more and more accusations and insults addressing his masterpiece, Hannibal decided to visit his old friend.

It was late and the evening was particularly gloomy. It had been raining for hours and the fog made it barely possible to see anything. Will was alone at home and he frowned when he opened the door to Lecter. Time was not easy on the photographer and his previously dark hair carried a note of grey. Will invited the man inside and offered a drink.

“What is it about?” Graham asked as he settled in a chair. Hannibal was nervous – his face was pale and his hands and lips trembled.

“You know I am your friend. I will never speak badly about you and I can no longer tolerate the rumours circulating the city.”

“Why do you care about rumours?”

“I don’t. I believe your soul is pure because such beautiful face as yours could never hide any sin. Please, tell me that the rumours are all lies, that they are all made up and I will leave.”

“Would you stop being my friend if I told you it was all true?”

A flash of horror and fear shot across Hannibal’s face. The implication was too cruel and too real.

“How can you even ask? I will always be your most faithful friend. This is why I want to help you.”

“Help me? You cannot help me. But I want you to see what you’ve done to me.” Will said and grabbed Hannibal’s hand. The touch startled Lecter; it no longer felt like a god’s blessing. Graham led them upstairs, to the attic, where there was only one room and it was locked. Will pulled a silver chain on his neck and retrieved a key. The men stepped inside the dusty room filled with an old chest of drawers, a broken mirror and a table with two chairs. Will moved to open one drawer and beckoned Hannibal to come closer and have a look. Curiosity took over Lecter and he acquiesced. In the darkness of the room he was not able to see what was inside the drawer but when Will lit a small lamp, the sight almost gave Hannibal a heart attack.

A photo of an ugly older man lay at the bottom of the drawer. It was hidden from the world and from Hannibal’s eyes for so long but he would always recognise the face of the man. He would always remember the beautiful day at his studio when he took the photo of Will Graham.

“This is impossible,” whispered Hannibal and covered his mouth with his hand. It wasn’t a matter of time or humidity that destroyed the photograph. The background remained untouched. It was the sins of the ideal that Will Graham was perceived to be. In that brief moment Hannibal regretted ever meeting the man. He wished for the time to reverse. Prayers crossed his mind and he didn’t pay attention to anything Will was saying. “I will save you, Will. I know I can still save you.”

Graham laughed and looked at the picture. The tears falling down his face weren’t the tears of joy; they were the tears of regret and immense sorrow. Hannibal couldn’t look at his greatest creation so he turned and sat by the table.

“I worshipped you.”

“You destroyed me.”

In the heat of passion Will whisked a knife from another drawer and the next thing he knew, the blade sank deep in the other man’s flesh. Hannibal’s last breath sounded very much like Will’s name and then the body in the chair became numb and lifeless.

Not long after, Will Graham was found dead in the same room and the photograph that never saw the daylight was finally released to the public. Interestingly enough, what most people saw in the picture of the young boy was the artist and his admiration for the model, not the model himself. Hannibal’s love survived the toughest of trials – it carried on beyond life.


End file.
